Essex Police have been warned by a Government watchdog after detainees were found to have been restrained in handcuffs, spit hoods, and leg restraints for hours.

An inspection of custody suites by the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services, and the Care Quality Commission found incidents were not always managed “appropriately” and Essex Police’s use of force was “mostly proportionate”.

The report, published on Friday, found the force had made some good progress in improving its custody services since it was last inspected in 2017, but some concerns had not been fully addressed.

Essex Police have said they are “not complacent” and are working towards making Essex safer and addressing the issues raised by the report.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: “Our officers deal with the most difficult and challenging situations every day with dedication, professionalism and care.

“The hard work of our officers has seen crime fall at a steady and continued rate over the last few years and there have been nearly 10,000 fewer crimes reported in the last year.

“And 77 percent of people in Essex think the force does a good or excellent job.

“But we are not complacent, and we are working to make Essex even safer for everyone. And we have a plan in place to address the matter raised in the report.”

The watchdog recommended Essex Police improve its management of use of force incidents in custody.

It said it needs to ensure custody officers “supervise incidents closely,” including the use of handcuffs, spit hoods and leg restraints.

It said “poor justification” was provided for strip searches, and the force used techniques that in their view “could have led to injury”. The watchdog also said it should scrutinise incidents to determine if the use of force was necessary or justified.

The inspection also found that detainees would spend too long in custody while awaiting assessments due to long waits at hospitals and mental health facilities.

Inspectors said this leads to “poor outcome for detainees” and “ineffective use of police time, but also noted custody personnel were respectful and “showed empathy” to detainees.

The report found that there were “potential ligature points” at all of the force’s suites, which custody personnel inspectors spoke to “were unaware of.”